Computing considerations are very important in modern DJ and performance art. As anyone with contemporary experience can tell you, not all computers and laptops are created equal, and many machines that are made for simple web surfing and social media posting won’t hold their weight under any considerable tasks volume.

Picking a laptop for artists comes down to a few simple considerations. In this article we will break them down briefly and list a few resources where you can get more information to help make your decision.

Things to Consider When Selecting a Laptop for an Artist or DJ

#1 – What are your main tasks?

Are you planning on mixing music? Doing graphic design for your artists graphics or flyers? Are you only needing to play MP3s (like a iPod?). These considerations will help you determine what you need from your machine.

For simple music playing, you probably don’t even need a full laptop. Consider a taplet or even an iPhone.

For graphic design you will want a high powered machine. As of 2018, you would want at least 4GB of RAM (and a SSD hard drive is preferable).

For mixing music you will want to bump this up even more, with 6GB of RAM, SSD Hard Drive, and a 1.6 GHZ dual core or better.

#2 – How will you be transporting it?

Weight and durability is a big consideration for the artist on the go. DJs and other traveling artists will need transportability, while graphic designers don’t necessarily need that.

“Ruggedized PCs” are a special types of laptops that are meant for very volatile conditions (like those of army combat). You might want something like this for DJs that work clubs and other places that have wild crowds. It will be protection against inevitable damage.

#3 – Software Considerations

The broadest question that most people have about their hardware is actually that of software as well: Mac or PC?

This will come down to a few factors, include personal preference, current software use, and security.

Personal preference will probably be the biggest deciding factor, since many things are very common across both platforms. Lots of activities are cloud based at this point, so operating system is somewhat irrelevant.

Your current software use will mimic your personal preference. If you use Photoshop and have already purchased the MAC version of it, you will want to stick with Mac (not to mention Mac is much better with graphic applications).

Security is a simple one: Go for Mac. It’s more secure, is subject to less vulnerability injections than Windows, and is generally just a more stable OS.

Conclusion

We hope this has helped a little bit with picking a laptop for your artists or DJ uses. If you have any additional tips please go ahead and leave a comment or send an email to tips (at) vinylvulture.co.uk.

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